The American Spectator : Frantic France

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Frantic France

By Joseph A. Harriss on 10.25.10 @ 6:08AM

The perverse pleasure of non.

Crisis reveals character. The French, a creative, artistic, and — by their own account — intelligent people, are not at their best in times that require steady nerves. The country’s costly, self-imposed crisis over pension reform reveals, once again, the flawed French character at its spiteful, wrongheaded worst. Ever skilled at Jesuitical mental dexterity to justify shooting themselves in the foot, they just can’t resist the pleasure of saying non to authority.

During their centuries of absolute monarchy they developed the habit of submission to the royal whim. To counterbalance that they would occasionally rise in revolt, then return to passive acceptance. Any suggestion of change was assumed to be bad; the default response was non. In the 1970s an exasperated prime minister despairingly called his country “the blocked society.” The late political philosopher Raymond Aron lamented that instead of evolution there were sporadic explosions of mass discontent, followed by more socio-economic gridlock.

This past week has seen France’s fourth crippling national strike and seventh day of violent street protests against the government’s reform proposals. Labor unions have paralyzed much of train service and other public transport, along with half the flights at Orly airport and a third at Roissy. (They often block airport access roads, making luggage-laden passengers trudge hundreds of yards to the terminal.) Riot police in RoboCop body armor grapple with hooligans spoiling for a fight; some 3,000 have been arrested so far, dozens of police officers injured. School children, egged on by their leftist teachers and mouthing labor union slogans, join the joyful chaos. (One group of apprentice Robespierres in short pants raided a bakery to steal bonbons.) University campuses are beginning to rumble, raising the specter of another May 1968.

On orders from the largest French labor union, the communist-backed CGT, workers in oil refineries and ports have taken a strangle hold on energy supplies. Ten of the country’s 11 active refineries are blocked, along with many of its 219 fuel depots, while dockers refuse to offload oil tankers. Some 3,000 gas stations have run dry. Tons of rotting, uncollected garbage pile up in major cities like Nantes and Marseilles. Tens of thousands of businesses have been hit by the transport disruption and lack of fuel. The national railways have been losing $26 million a day, the chemical industry $130 million.

Object of this mass hysteria? An attempt to save France’s pension system by gradually, timidly raising the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62 and increasing by one year the contributions to it. (It had long been age 65 until Socialist President François Mitterrand, for purely ideological reasons, made it 60 in the early 1980s.) In Europe, Germany, Britain and Italy (Italy!) passed similar measures without trauma. Britain went further last week, with the steepest public spending cuts in over 60 years, curtailing welfare benefits, eliminating nearly half a million public sector jobs, raising consumption taxes. As one amazed French commentator sputtered in disbelief, “The British are being pragmatic, not ideological. They’re trying to find ways to make the plans work instead of blocking them.”

It should have been a piece of cake, simply moving France into line with other industrialized nations. Public opinion and the unions initially understood and favored pension reform. But Nicolas Sarkozy’s government botched it by taking an uncompromising, my way or the highway line, preventing the unions and Socialist Party opposition from the usual face-saving motions. Now the unions are trying to get back in front of their extremist members, announcing more strikes and demonstrations next Thursday and in early November.

With this costly standoff Sarkozy has painted himself into a corner because of his hidden agenda. He wants to appear tough on debt reduction to be a convincing head of the G20 and G8 when France’s presidency starts in a few months, a platform he hopes to use to raise his international stature and boost his standing in France. And if he backs down, as his mentor Jacques Chirac did in 1995 on similar pension reform, he loses street cred as he prepares his run for re-election in 2012. With his numbers in the basement at around 26 percent, he sees this fight as essential to his comeback. As one of his UMP party propagandists brags, “this guy’s got balls.”

Nice in some circumstances, but in politics not always enough. Today the strikes and demos are as much about him and his personal style as about pension reform: the lavish lifestyle, the supermodel third wife, the upcoming presidential jet designed to rival Air Force One, the perception that he panders to the rich. Despite the inconvenience, a majority of the population supports the strikers. For all his gonadial prowess, the tone-deaf Sarkozy seems to have reckoned without the French character and their perverse pleasure in saying non.

About the Author

Joseph A. Harriss is The American Spectator’s Paris correspondent. His latest book, An American Spectator in Paris, was released this fall.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (63) | Leave a comment Leave a comment

Tim*| 10.25.10 @ 6:32AM

Sacre' bleu !

Darin| 10.25.10 @ 6:42AM

France aside, the US isn't much better. Social security, medicare, and medicaid take a huge chunk of the annual budget, yet touching them is akin to political suicide. No rational person thinks the status quo for these entitlement program is acceptable, but no one is doing anything about it. When we point a finger at France, we have 3 fingers pointing right back at us.

I'm not planning for any of these programs to be available when I retire, and what I've paid and will pay into them I view as a sunk cost (not recoverable). My main fear is some of what I've tried to stash away will be appropriated by the government under the guise of "fairness." It happened a few decades ago when privately owned gold was seized by the government, and there's nothing to say it can't or won't happen again.

Troy| 10.25.10 @ 9:27AM

I disagree; We do not riot, we vote. Even the the leeches themselves get out the vote. They may complain, or distort the culture and the news, but instead of using mindless violence to achieve their goals they work within the system. On the conservative side, if we were like the French, then the "riots" that formed the Tea Party would have been as violent as the riots that formed the original tea party. We may be angry about the results, but we have not given up on the system of voting that we have. Probably that's why we have the oldest government in the world. (And no, the British don't count, the Q of E has nothing near the power that George III had.)

Alan Brooks| 10.26.10 @ 12:39AM

"We do not riot"

Americans can use violence in subtle ways. You're not going to tell me otherwise?-- you are not THAT intellectually dishonest, Troy.

Whoever said America is too civilized?

bornorange| 10.26.10 @ 6:22AM

What is happening in the US right now is the center/right majority atttempting to return the government to the constitution. Center/right people are principle driven. (generally) If they are drawn to violence you do not have a riot... you have a war.

The left, however, (those rioting in France) are capable of rioting because their latte was cold.

When the entitlements start to be pared here... watch. When the union retirements and benefits are pared... watch. When privatization of various government agencies start... watch. It will be ugly.

Occam's Tool| 10.25.10 @ 10:59AM

The nice thing about gold is that it is easily transportable. That's what trips to Swiss Banks are for.

Texas Mom 2012| 10.25.10 @ 11:54AM

I agree with Darin. Hubby and I knew when we married in 86 that social security would not be there when he retired. So we have saved accordingly, sacrificing in the present for our future security. We took a hit when the market free fell but are back at least parity now.

If the Feds continue to make noise about seizing 401K assets for a guaranteed 5% payback I fear there will be riots similar to France. Except our riots will be about personal assets being seized by the government not about reducing benefits given by the government.

In any case, we will cash out our 401K funds and my IRA funds because paying the taxes and penalties will leave us with more than the government would. We need to be able to leave secure assets for our sons because one of them is autistic. We want him to have a fallback that our other son doesn't have to provide.

If the government does seize 401K assets, which are primarily invested in stocks, it will also be a de facto takeover of the majority of the private sector. We will become Cuba. It is truly frightening that this issue has been repeatedly raised by our elected officials. Well, the Dems...anyway.

Anthony| 10.25.10 @ 2:28PM

If we don't give Obozo, Reid & Pelosi the boot on Nov. 2, you can kiss your S.S. and your 401K goodbye.
At the same time, if these delusional Ds think they are going to seize my 401K and dole it back to me in dribs and drabs @ 5%, riots are the very least these D clowns will have to worry about.

Kishego| 10.25.10 @ 3:18PM

It's worse than that, they want to force all with 401k's and IRa's to convert the money into U.S. T bonds. Once they finish with QE2, our dollars won't be worth squat.

believer| 10.25.10 @ 5:13PM

Darin- At least the ones that are on Social Security and medicare have paid into it, The hundreds of Billions that have been milked out of the welfare programs have paid nothing into the system. Now when you go into the Social Security office they are filled with the young sponges who have milked the welfare programs and decided that the S.S. owes them because it's their right. The last time I was in the S.S. office here in Calif. there were only two people in the office that were over 60, the rest were mostly hispanic who spoke no English and eager to get something for nothing. We can thank our fellow citizins for feeling sorry for the world and allowing not only illegals access to welfare but our young women who get pregnant out of wedlock to drain welfare and Social Security.

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 10.25.10 @ 7:01AM

The situation in France shows how much effort the moocher class can muster when their mooching is threatened. Don't kid yourself, it could and might happen here when our moochers are threatened with less mooching.

The mooching class is an entitled class, who despite their lack of accomplishments, continue to believe they are entitled. And who can blame them?

We are still in the throes of a blowback from the moochers who benefited from mooching legislation which required banks to lend money to moochers. The aftermath hasn't been pleasant for those who pay their bills.

The moochers are still being treated like royalty as courts demand that all mortgage paperwork be perfect before the moochers go on to their next mooching experience in America.

Navyvet| 10.25.10 @ 12:23PM

Bill.
Moocher Class, I like that better than what I have been using. "Gimmes"
The Moochers should form a party to counter the Tea Party. Since the Tea Party is favoring Repub's right now, for lack of a better alternative, the Moochers are joined at the hip with the Democrat/Liberal/Socialist/Communist/Progressive, etc etc etc party.
Great comments.!!!!

Fairbanks99| 10.25.10 @ 2:57PM

Or to use a word Ayn Rand preferred, "Looters."

believer| 10.25.10 @ 5:18PM

Bill- Moocher class, thats a great idea for the class that is led by Barbara Boxer and Diane Fiestien. do I have your permission to use it.

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 10.25.10 @ 7:25PM

Fire away!

Tim*| 10.25.10 @ 7:30AM

The more The Ruling Elite sucks citizens into being dependent on the taxed money they force confiscate from citizens , the more they sucker citizens into being dependent on These Same Ruling Elite .

Cut Out These Monopolistic Middleman Ruling Elite.

The Tea Party Rebellion Escalates.

Rise Up In Rebellion !

magua| 10.25.10 @ 8:01AM

Perhaps the U.S. could negotiate a straight-up trade, Sarkozy for Obama, just like in baseball. That would give us a fighting chance to get back in the race, and France could completely implode (again).

WGMOW| 10.25.10 @ 7:46PM

Plus a player to be named later and an undisclosed sum of cash...

GavInTucson| 10.26.10 @ 10:34PM

The baseball analogy reminded me of those awful "first pitches" we witnessed from the teleprompter.

Louis Jenkins| 10.25.10 @ 8:05AM

The difference between the entitlement society of the USA vs France; there will be a lot of people out there in hum-arounds and on walkers throwing rocks and flaming cocktails. They still won't get the message-social security, medicare and medicaid are broke.

hoads| 10.25.10 @ 8:57AM

If Sarkovsky gets thrown out, the new administration will have undoubtedly run on repealing the raised pension age. The US Left will use this example to rebel rouse here and get people in the streets demanding govt. entitlements.

PJ| 10.25.10 @ 8:58AM

I do like the French culture & French people. Like all countries, they do have their share of problems.

Right now we are witnessing a power struggle between Sarkozy & company w/the socialistic unions. Sarkosy is right about raising the age; they have a demographic induced pension deficit.

What the people & unions dislike is his Napoleonic attitude. It is very brash. It is so French!

skip| 10.25.10 @ 5:57PM

Those protests could easily be dispersed in an instant. Just ask: "Are those Germans behind you?"

Redstateboy| 10.25.10 @ 9:09AM

Like I've been writing for a long time now... y'all better start get'n use to the wail of Sirens cause we're all gonne be hear'n that sound a lot over the next few years. The Snake of Socialism isn't going to be put down easily..

A. C. Santore| 10.25.10 @ 12:24PM

Redstateboy, only the wilfully ignorant will deny that. If we don't fix it soon, it is coming our way.

Anyone who doubts that has not been following recent American history, with more than a few similar outbreaks of violence, although localized.

The only difference with France is that theirs spread throughout the country. Ours haven't - so far - because the issues over here have been much more localized. The issues that are a-boil over here are national.

believer| 10.25.10 @ 5:27PM

Redstateboy- The only way an all out rebellion will ever come to America is when we are all out of work and hungry, and then only the innocent will truly suffer. My advise would be to store as much rice and beans along with a gun and plenty of ammo, spend a few hundred dollars and in the event that total economic collapes comes you can feed your family, if not your only out a few hundred dollars.

Bill| 10.25.10 @ 9:14AM

"One group of apprentice Robespierres in short pants raided a bakery to steal bonbons"?

The new "sans culottes'?

ncatty| 10.25.10 @ 3:22PM

Mais oui.

Deborah D | 10.25.10 @ 9:50AM

Hey, it might not have happened here yet, but there are ominous signs. The teachers unions have already been in the streets in Illinois. They don't like even talking about the fact that their pensions are under water. So, what will they do when a suggestion is made -- you can no longer retire at 55 -- you must wait until you're 57 (or better yet -- 65). There will be some fighting going on then. You betcha. They don't call them union thugs for nothing.

Sandra| 10.25.10 @ 9:59AM

There are SEVERAL entities at work here, (rather, at work in France).

The Unions - which are all pretty much controlled at the top levels by avowed Communists and Socialists (close to the same thing - centralized control and tyranny, differs in methods to get there)

The radical youth, a.k.a. "Islamic Radicals" the majority are under the age of 20, were born on French soil, although may not have French Citizenship. Educated in BOTH the public schools and Islamic religious schools, and ready to pillage and burn.

And the "professional anarchists" these are people of various ages that really enjoy a "good fight" and will rabble rose the most sedate group of farmers, some will even pose as farmers, (or whatever group they are in).

Then again, my French friends live in places like Metz, and Chamonix, and are "holed-up" and waiting for this to pass.

This is NOT new, and will soon pass -- maybe.

Sandra| 10.25.10 @ 10:01AM

I forgot, that right now there is an uneasy and loose partnership among the three, but what usually happens is in-fighting at the top and the whole protest movement collapses.

Ken (Old Texican)| 10.25.10 @ 10:04AM

SEIU anyone?

As Deb said above, we have our own public unions to contend with, and they are growing every day.

Albert| 10.25.10 @ 12:26PM

Suggestions: 1. Ban public employee unions. 2. Require that anyone taking a government job must surrender their right to vote for the time they are actually employed by the goverment. Reason: Both of these phenomena are inherent conflicts of interest.

In Greece we see riots over lost bennies for the moochers. In France we see riots over raising the retirement age to what is still younger what it USED to be. We will see riots in the USA too once the bennies for the moochers are reduced or cut off. Comment: This is all being done on purpose to destabilize Western societies for Communist takeovers. Wake up America. Don't forget to throw out the trash. Vote Nov. 2.

FastJohnny| 10.25.10 @ 10:05AM

There was a time when I used to listen to my grandfather and others complain that he was being forced to retire at 65. These people wanted to keep working, because they liked to work, they liked to provide more income to thier family, they enjoyed the feeling that came with hard work and not in the least, they had friends at work with whom they spent years with on the job. Now people can't wait to be on the gravy train and are upset that thier plans to retire in thier fifties might not be realized and that they might have to work a few more years. It is pretty obvious in France that the main issue is that they don't want to work any harder than they have to, even if it means saving thier own country. What a bunch of spoiled brats.

Sheila| 10.25.10 @ 10:48AM

While the leftist labor unions may be egging them on, the bulk of the actual protesters setting cars on fire and wreaking mayhem are the usual contingent of "youths" - i.e. Muslim immigrants who don't work anyhow, and thus are not affected by the retirement age. This happens almost nightly anyhow; they are merely using this latest issue as an excuse for foreign press attention. Check out Gates of Vienna or The Brussels Journal online to see the European news the American media doesn't chose to cover.

Occam's Tool| 10.25.10 @ 11:06AM

That's why Israel becomes more strategic. Eventually, we will need to take the sharia-philes down. You don't abandon your allies in a fight for YOUR own survival, and even if Israel were gone, they would still be coming for us as we are the ally of the Western European powers that are dying.

Fred| 10.25.10 @ 10:53AM

Yup. Whenever there are riots in Paris, it's one of two things: the Muslims are having one of their periodic rabies epidemics or some politician screwed up and made the Frogs think they might actually have to work for a living.

Occam's Tool| 10.25.10 @ 11:02AM

The French are lazy.
They think USA provides.
Dreams are made to break.

Occam's Tool| 10.25.10 @ 11:04AM

Haiku about the French is easy to do.

Houston Rao| 10.25.10 @ 10:58AM

Some of you may have heard about True the Vote, an independent organization that found substantial problems in the voter registration rolls in Harris County, TX. http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....ote-texas/

Now the Texas Democrat Party and other democratic supported parties, including Houston Votes, an Acorn like voter registration outfit, have sued the True the Vote organization for their investigative work. They have also sued the county claiming that the county is barred from correcting these registration problems.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2613063/posts?page=2

While this may not be related to the France subject, please spread the message.

Yosemeti Sam| 10.25.10 @ 11:41AM

Yo, Sarkozy - tell them rioters to eat escargot.

LOL.

mames| 10.25.10 @ 12:24PM

Without the philosophical and theological underpinning of the American culture France is just a rebel without a cause; always has been likely always will be.

Albert| 10.25.10 @ 12:30PM

Between the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century and World War I in the early 20th century, France has pretty much lost its real men. The only genetic males France has left are chefs and mimes.

RCV| 10.25.10 @ 1:35PM

The French have been enjoying this kind of thing since 1789.

rongordo | 10.25.10 @ 3:34PM

Note the abundance of "community organized" youth, and their usefulness as rock throwers etc.

Matt| 10.25.10 @ 3:56PM

Let the lazy/ 35 hour work week/ 20% unemployment/ French fester in their own trash. If Sarkozy isn't able to turn them around, they will literally hit rock bottom. Let the Unions figure out how to make an economy work--good luck!

megapotamus| 10.25.10 @ 4:01PM

Any US version of the teenage sans coulattes who bust up windows to steal candy here in the States will have their little heads blown clear off. Okay, not just any old where, but the risk will be enough to calm their young asses down. Napoleon made his name originally by clearing the streets, of coure in the name of the Ancien Regime; as horrid and rapacious a gaggle of inbred scum as ever ruled another man. Is this what the Frogs want? I doubt it, but demonstrations don't harvest a single head of cabbage. Let the French vandals taste a bit of hunger, or at least go without gas for a few weeks. I am with Sarkozy on this. They've put his back to the wall, and maybe he could have been more diplomatic but the Frenchies don't deserve it. Not on pragmatic reasons, not on moral grounds. These putrid parasites need Reality Therapy in large doses. Regardless of what Sarko or some successor do or want, they will get it. The math demands it. Yes, there are similar, if lesser, mathematical demands on us here at home but no, there will be no rioting or anything like that from AFSCME or SEIU. We won't stand for it. Nope.

CalMark| 10.25.10 @ 4:24PM

Yes, Mr. Harris, yes! Pragmatism! Allow the Commies and Fascists to "save face." Brilliant!

After all, our own George W. Bush did that all the time with the Democrats. And as we all know, he got such spectacular, wonderful results!

There comes a time to throw down the gauntlet: Here I stand, this is what I believe. For all his personal faults, Sarkozy has done so, correctly.

Sarkozy is failing because the people of France are still the benighted, fearful peasant serf rabble that has yet to emerge from the Middle Ages. Their behavior shows that the French are incompetent to run, and completely undeserving of, a representative form of government.

Frog In Uniform| 10.25.10 @ 4:34PM

Nice analysis, Monsieur Harriss. I'm not sure I appreciate the anti french slurs in some comments but never mind, it's the nature of the game. My country has been taken hostage since the end of WW II by a coalition of commies and social-democrats, the latter divided between gaullistes and socialistes (they pretend to be foes but they have dinner together in the most exclusive restaurants, besides they graduated in the same government management school, the notorious ENA)
In 1945 many utilities and companies were nationalized, electricity, coal, natural gas, railways, port authorities, Renault, the oil industry and so on, and left to the socialo/communist unions as managers... The result, 65 years later, even after very shy and incomplete reforms and privatizations is a country in perpetual gridlock.
Add the resentment toward Sarkozy and the paroxistic hate of the muslims toward anything western and we have a very explosive mixture...
We've been knowing for decades that we just couldn't afford a retirement age at 60, because of the baby boom, the unemployment and the leap in decent citizen class births (the scum doesn't have fertility problems), but the unions, always eager to pander to their troops, believe otherwise.
That reform should have taken place 15 years ago but no president had the balls to face the unions. sarko is doing it because he wants to be reelected, not because he gives a rat's ass about our welfare. This is gonna be ugly. Pray for us.

Deborah D | 10.26.10 @ 2:26AM

Hey there...I will pray for you, sir. It is frightening. Please pray for us here as well. Our country has been taken over by those you describe as taking yours over 65 years ago. We are hoping to save ourselves from the fate they have in store for us. The whole world is ready to explode, I fear. God bless.

Frog In Uniform| 10.25.10 @ 4:45PM

And look at that picture: All arab "youth" (as it is pc to write), too young to work, not intending to -ever- work or to vote for anything, not giving a shiite about politics anyway, therefore not concerned by any trivial matter like retirement age (they'll be either dead or in jail) but still demonstrating for the sake of doing what they do best in Gaza, Damas, Baghdad, or Beirut: burning cars, rioting and mugging. Bastard arab assholes! Would you have room for 1 million of them, you nice tolerant Americans? Just kidding.

believer| 10.25.10 @ 5:39PM

Frog in Uniform- We Americans find it easy to criticise France but when the National debt comes due the crap will hit the fan and the economy in France will probably be looking pretty good to us.

jstwndring| 10.25.10 @ 6:45PM

This is exactly why we need to destroy as many state and federal unions as possible in the U.S. Or, at least force them to fund their own pensions. No more state bailouts by the rest of us. Then the Marxists won't be able to hold the rest of us hostage.

God, collectivists are greedy.

vtwin| 10.25.10 @ 9:02PM

hey frog!we would gladly trade your arabs for our teabaggers!!your sorry excuse for a country has great wines and invented fellatio but is irrelevant anyway.let the left rule and your situation will improve.

Frog In Uniform| 10.26.10 @ 11:14AM

Monsieur V-twin, I have searched this site for your posts and I have come to the obvious conclusion that you are either insane or an average frog (honoris causa cela va sans dire), of the expendable kind. You would be a perfect sample of the readership of our most perverted and liberal paper in France, the infamous "Liberation" founded by J.P.Sartre. That paper used to reveal the names and addresses of all the US military attachés in Europe, claiming they were CIA spooks. This resulted in several attempts against their lives, some of them successful. That paper also made the apology of pedophilia, with writings or statements by various gay authors including Jean Genêt or the nefarious Daniel Cohn-Bendit of Mai 68 fame, before it fell out of fashion, making a 180 degree turn and disparaging as "homophobes" those who knew pedophilia and homosexuality were closely related. That paper is also the only one in France to call the Tea Partiers "tea baggers", with total inefficiency and indifference from their readers, because most french liberals do not speak English anyway. I think you are a traitor and a shame to your country, and I just do not know why you are wasting your time on TAS. You are not wasting ours, for sure, as I bet we thoroughly enjoy kneeing your tiny balls and kicking your filthy butt until your vestigal (search for this word) penis leaves a mark in the ridiculously small tank of your hilarious pink moped. This frog "tea bagger" (honoris causa) has spoken and will cease to ever acknowledge your ectoplasmic presence...

Marc Jeric| 10.27.10 @ 6:25PM

I still have good feelings about France. When I escaped from a communist hell back in 1957 it was France that gave me a status of political refugee, including a stateless passport and the right to work. That passport authorixed me to travel without visas almost everywhere in Europe; Germans needed French visa and the French needed German visa, and I needed none. La Confederation Generale des Travailleurs (their biggest union) is 100% led by the Parti Communist - it is in fact their subsidiary.

led display | 12.17.10 @ 3:44AM

what wrong?

dresses | 11.14.11 @ 10:30PM

The Moochers should form a party to counter the Tea Party. Since the Tea Party is favoring Repub's right now, for lack of a better alternative

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